Important Dates - Closing for 3 Weeks

***Tiger Bead Store WILL BE CLOSED from monday 5/27 through wednesday 6/19 - that is 3 weeks***

Unfortunately, whenever I leave town, I do not have anyone to run my store.  So I will be closing, or putting my store on vacation mode.  

I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you while I am gone. 

Please, if you can, plan ahead and place an order if necessary. 

***I will be taking orders up to 12:00pm Pacific Time, CA USA, on sunday.

What Are Man Made Gemstones?

Just what are man made gemstones?  I was curious about this myself, so I thought I would do a little research and share what I found with you.  


Man made gemstones are also known as lab created stones,  or synthetic stones.

These stones are created in a laboratory and have similar chemical composition and physical properties of their natural counterparts.  An example is a lab created ruby, which posses similar chemical composition and physical properties of a natural ruby.

Lab created stones look better than natural stones and are fine gem quality. Most of these stones are made of "lab spinel" or "lab corundum" or “lab quartz”. Even experienced gem dealers and professionals are sometimes puzzled to differentiate between the natural and lab created stone.

Lab created stones are the perfect version of the natural stones. Lab created stones usually come with the best colors and without any flaws or inclusions - that is very rare or highly expensive to be obtained with a natural stone.

Man made gemstones have very good sparkle and are flawless.  The price of a lab stone is just a fraction of the cost of a natural stone, which makes it more affordable to buy.
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Another type of man made stone is  he imitation stone, also called simulated stone.  These stones are made in the laboratory and look like natural stones but they do not have similar chemical composition and the physical properties of their natural counterpart.  They just imitate the color and look of a natural stone.  An example is cubic zirconia, or CZ.   This stone has similar look and sparkle to that of a natural diamond but costs just a fraction of the price of a natural diamond.

Most of these imitation stones are made of "lab spinel" or "lab corundum" or "lab CZ" or “glass”.

(this information is being shared from Ebay Guides, What are Man Made Gemstones?  and Why Buy Them?) 

Important Dates About Shipping Orders This Week

Unfortunately, I will only be available for emails and shipping orders this week through 12 noon on tuesday. I greatly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Please let me know if there is anything you may need or with questions you may have before I go.

***IMPORTANT DATES*** Shipping dates for next week are Monday 5/13 and Tuesday 5/14.   I will be accepting orders on tuesday until 12 noon, Pacific Standard time. That is CA, USA time.  After that, they will be shipped the following week. 

***The next shipping date after that is Monday, 5/20.*** ***From Wed., 5/15 through Sunday 5/19, I will not be able to answer emails or ship any orders.

Once again, I am greatly sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.